“As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children.” 1 Thessalonians 2:11 NKJV
Families are the foundational building block of society and are strongest when fathers actively engage their children’s lives. Social science confirms the Bible in affirming that having a married dad and mom is the best environment for the next generation to grow up in. This Father’s Day, the survival of civilization is at stake for we need men to step up in their calling to protect, provide, preach, & pastor their homes as Dad the Family Leader.
The world can be a dangerous place because wicked men and ungodly influences have an agenda to destroy the family as GOD designed it. Fathers’ protection is simple as squashing spiders, snuggling during thunderstorms, and fixing bike chains. Protection is also as complex as setting standards for the content and amount of media the family consumes. This includes movies, TV programs, music, video games, and social media online (Ps.101:3-4; Rom.12:2; Eph.5:15-17).
No less important is choosing how your children will be educated whether it is through the government’s public schools, private/Christian school, or through parent-led home-based discipleship otherwise known as homeschooling. These educational options are not equally valid especially for dads who possess an intelligent understanding of the times through the lens of a comprehensive biblical worldview. For example, God’s Word explicitly places the responsibility for the education of the next generation into the hands of parents, and fathers in particular (see the book of Proverbs). The biblical goal of education therefore is moral and spiritual development and not humanistic academics, athletic prowess, or social status. Every dad must possess a dead serious urgency regarding this duty-bound stewardship responsibility as the man at the helm of his home for which he will give an account one day before the Lord God Almighty (Pr.1:7; 9:10; 13:20; 2 Cor.10:3-5).
Perhaps most important is determining where the family will worship God through faithful church attendance and active ministry involvement. Finding a local church that magnifies God’s glory and grace, co-champions the next generation with the family, and mobilizes the saints to engage culture with the salt and light moral back pressure of truth can be a challenge but dads must lead the way. Fathers are indeed responsible for protecting their families, physically and spiritually, from all that would wreak havoc upon the hearts and lives of their children (Neh.4:14; Ps.1:1-6; Col.2:8). This Father’s Day, our homes need Dad the Family Protector.
Big government and radical feminism have marginalized fathers into an emasculated malaise. According to God’s design in creation, providing food, clothes, and housing is the father’s manly responsibility as the primary breadwinner. The Bible teaches if a man neglects this responsibility that he has denied the absolute truth of the Christian faith and is worse than a hell-bound unbeliever (1 Tim.5:8 cf. Gen.2:15-18; 2 Thes.3:10-15). This Father’s Day, our homes need Dad the Family Provider.
Every home is like a church where the worship of GOD should abound. Fathers are the Bible preachers in this spiritual training center where their children learn who GOD is, what He has done in history, is doing today, and will yet do in the future. Families are central to GOD’s worldwide purpose of reaching the nations with the spiritual light of gospel truth (Gen.18:19; Ps.78:1-8; 1 Tim.3:4; 3:15). This Father’s Day, our homes need Dad the Family Preacher.
Home is the cradle of civilization where children receive character training for honorable living. The caliber and long-term impact of their life work is determined by the quality of their character, who they are. Fathers are responsible to shepherd the hearts of their children in the ways of righteousness by faithfully modeling and intentionally cultivating Godly character and Christ-like conduct in the next generation (Deut.6:4-9; Eph.6:4; 1 Thes.2:11-12). This Father’s Day, our homes need Dad the Family Pastor.
We live in a broken world full of sin, but living hope is available in Jesus Christ. Whether it is a single-parent situation, drug addiction, or abusive relationship, Christ is the Answer. He transforms the lives of not only dads but everyone who comes to Him by grace through faith alone by believing that He bore the wrath we deserve when He died for our sins at Calvary and rose again the third day (Rom.3:21-26; 1 Cor.15:3-4; Titus 2:11-14). This Father’s Day, more than ever, we need Dad the Family Leader.
Recommended Resources:
- “Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters to Walk with God” by Voddie Baucham
- “What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter” by Voddie Baucham
- “Point Man: How a Man Can Lead His Family” by Steve Farrar
- “King Me: What Every Son Wants & Needs to Hear from His Father” bySteve Farrar
- “Courageous” the movie & “Show Me the Father” documentary by the Kendrick Brothers (“The Forge” is to be released in theaters in August 2024)
- “The Resolution for Men” (see Appendix 2, “Six Powerful Influences You Must Guard in Your Children’s Lives”) by Stephen & Alex Kendrick
- “Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father’s Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood” by Robert Lewis
- “Dad the Family Shepherd” & “The Fourth Generation Rule” by Dave Simmons
- “The Most Important Place on Earth: What a Christian Home Looks Like and How to Build One” by Robert Wolgemuth
